Peterbald

The Peterbald is a breed of Russian hairless cat.
Blue tabby Peterbald male
Blue tabby Peterbald male

Peterbalds look very elegant and slim and have a distinctive head: narrow and long with a straight profile, almond-shaped eyes, and big set-apart ears. Peterbald cats look much like hairless Oriental Shorthair cats.

Peterbalds are usually sweet-tempered, peaceful, curious, smart and energetic. Peterbalds love their family members and need to communicate with them; they are not a loner type of cat. Peterbalds live in harmony with other cats and pets and also with children. They are also not vindictive, and all of their characteristics make peterbalds an excellent companion cat.

The Peterbald breed was created at the end of 1994 in St. Petersburg, Russia as the result of experimental mating of a Don hairless (Don Sphynx also known as Donskoy or Donsky) male called Afinogen Myth and an Oriental Shorthair female World Champion Radma von Jagerhov, by a well known Russian felinologist named Olga S. Mironova. The first two litters gave four peterbald kittens: Mandarin iz Murino, Muscat iz Murino, Nezhenka iz Murino and Nocturne iz Murino. These four peterbalds are the founders of the breed.

In 1996, the breed was adopted in the Russian Selectional Feline Federation (SFF) and given a standard and an abbreviation (PBD). In 1997 it was adopted in The International Cat Association (TICA) with the abbreviation PB, and in 2003 in the World Cat Federation (WCF) with the abbreviation PBD. Other used handles of the breed are PBD, PTB, PD and PSX.

These days the breed develops in the direction of modern Oriental and Siamese types, that is to say a long muzzle, large set-apart ears, flat cheekbones, and an elegant body on long legs. Therefore, all standards for this breed encourage mating with Oriental and Siamese cats and semi-longhair variations of those (Balinese and Javanese).